I've been experiencing some problems with my card the past week or so. I've been using my computer and at random times, artifacts will appear on the screen (if I'm using the proper word). At some points, the screen will freeze completely and a series of artifacts/glitches that look like '+' signs will show up, and part of the screen will flash in different colors. Sometimes, the driver will crash and recover, but mostly, the computer stops, and requires a restart.

I first thought it was software related, but I'm afraid it might be hardware related. The temperatures are showing idle values, 30% fan speed, 30-45 degree GPU temperature, and 2% or less GPU usage. This problem rarely occurs while games are running, which I find odd, so I'm inquiring here.

EDIT

Also, I installed older drivers after uninstalling my previous drivers, thinking that they were part of the problem.

That's odd that its artifacting while idle and not in game, since you've already tried different drivers all i can say is submit a ticket to the manufacture for an RMA, it looks like your card is about to die.